Apple Adds 5 CarPlay Customization Features in iOS 26
Updated
Updated · 9to5Mac · May 15
Apple Adds 5 CarPlay Customization Features in iOS 26
7 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · May 15
Five new iOS 26 settings let CarPlay users tailor the in-car interface with Smart Display Zoom, widget controls, fresh wallpapers, text resizing and app icon appearance options.
Smart Display Zoom, found under CarPlay Display settings and unavailable on some vehicles, is designed to better fit the interface to different screen sizes and shapes.
Widgets now appear to the left of the CarPlay Home Screen, showing 1 to 3 stacks depending on display size; users can add or remove widgets on iPhone, with up to 5 per stack.
Six new wallpaper color variants adapt to light and dark modes, while Accessibility settings now allow systemwide text-size changes directly in CarPlay.
Apple also added Default, Dark and Clear app icon styles, extending iOS 26’s broader push to make CarPlay more customizable alongside its new feature set.
With some automakers dropping CarPlay, is Apple's vision for a dominant in-car OS facing an inevitable dead end by 2028?
By letting rivals like ChatGPT into CarPlay, is Apple admitting Siri's defeat or building a next-generation, multi-AI automotive platform?